ATK/Nick Vlahakis Scholarship and Fellowship Fund to
Assist Engineering and Computer Science Students

MINNEAPOLISNick Vlahakis, Carnegie Mellon University and ATK, a Minnesota-based aerospace and defense contractor, have announced the formation of the ATK/Nick Vlahakis Scholarship and Fellowship Fund.

Vlahakis, who earned his master's degree in mechanical engineering from Carnegie Mellon in 1974, is chief operating officer of ATK. He said the fund will provide several annual scholarships and fellowships for Carnegie Mellon undergraduate and graduate students in selected engineering and technical disciplines and create the foundation for an ongoing alliance between ATK and Carnegie Mellon. In recognition of Vlahakis' parental heritage from Crete, Greece, the fund will make a special effort to identify student recipients of similar background, when appropriate.

With more than two decades of experience with ATK and its predecessors, Vlahakis strongly believes that the caliber of students Carnegie Mellon attracts and educates are exactly what ATK needs to augment its engineering expertise and to continue its contribution to the nation's needs in aerospace and defense.

"We are extremely pleased that one of our distinguished alumni has led such a financial commitment to help educate the next generation of technology leaders," said John L. Anderson, dean of Carnegie Mellon's College of Engineering. "The ATK/Vlahakis Scholarship will enable qualified students to experience an education that will prepare them to meet the technical and social challenges of the future."

The first scholarship will be awarded in the fall of 2003. Once fully funded by 2006, the scholarships and fellowships will provide $50,000 in annual grants to Carnegie Mellon undergraduate and graduate students. One $10,000 annual scholarship will be awarded to an incoming freshman in engineering or computer science and four annual $5,000 scholarships will be awarded to Carnegie Mellon students who have completed their sophomore year in engineering or computer science. Recipients do not need to demonstrate financial need to qualify, but that may be a factor in the selection process.

Beginning in 2004, the fellowship fund for graduate students will award $10,000 to a master's degree candidate in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering or Materials Science & Engineering or to a student pursuing a joint MBA/B.S. in engineering within the aforementioned departments. In 2006 and beyond, the fund will award two $10,000 fellowships.

ATK (www.atk.com) is a $2.2 billion aerospace and defense company with strong positions in propulsion, composite structures, munitions, precision capabilities, and civil and sporting ammunition. The company, headquartered in Edina, Minn., employs approximately 12,000 people and has three business groups: Aerospace, Precision Systems, and Ammunition and Related Products.